Bound to You No Matter What We Have to Endure
by DarkPoisonousLove
Summary: They're engaged. Congratulations are in order. Yet, they're only a good thing when they come from the right people. But there are people in their lives that refuse to get out and the intentions they reach out to them with are plain disturbing as Griffin learns when she gets a real glimpse of what Valtor's been made to endure his whole life. Part 5 of "Sparks of Life".


**A/N: This was a random idea I got, like, a week ago and I finally managed to write it. After all, it is naive to think that the Ancestral Witches will just let them live in peace.**

Griffin opened the door to her office to find Valtor inside, his back turned on her as he was gazing out the window at the gray skies. The movement of the door alerted him to her presence but he wasn't in a terrible hurry to turn around and greet her, and when he finally did, she could see the thoughts swirling behind his eyes. A storm was roaring in his mind and she had to figure out how to pull him to safety before he could drown.

"What's wrong?" she asked as she moved to leave the books she was holding on her desk so that her hands were free to touch him as much as she wanted and as much as he needed. It could be something work-related that was bothering him but she doubted that. He looked somewhat lost, his eyes roaming her form as if he couldn't decide which part of her to stop his gaze on, as if he didn't know what he was looking for but it was hidden somewhere inside her and he desperately needed to find it. If it had been anyone else, she would've been scared they'd break her apart in their senseless pursuit of the irresistible urge, but she knew he would never hurt her. He was still rooted in his spot, keeping his distance as if to protect her from the mindless impulse rising in him.

"Can't I just come get my fiance from work?" he asked, taking her hand when she offered it, his thumb immediately rubbing against the engagement ring on her finger, making sure it was there and enjoying the feeling of knowing she was his completely. She knew she did. She'd been his for a long time and she was glad he'd finally found it in himself to trust that and ask her to make it official so that she could say yes. She couldn't wait to be his wife and call him husband.

"You can, of course," she smiled, the thought giving her enough joy to make it real despite the persistent alarm in her head at the knowledge there was something else, something bad, that was tearing at his brain. She could see it in the way he refused to meet her gaze and held on to her waist with his free hand as if afraid she'd slip away. She'd hoped the engagement would help quell his fear of abandonment even if it was still so very new to both of them and they'd both need time to get used to it–though, she definitely didn't mind hearing the word fiance fall from his lips when he referred to her and he did it at every opportunity–but he seemed so restless with worry again, and she had to do something to help him. "I really appreciate the gesture," she said as she cupped his cheek, the contact of her skin with his finally luring his eyes to look into hers where she was keeping all the rest of her love. "But I can tell there's something else, too," she said, watching his shoulders droop as if he'd let her down and the burden of that was crushing him harder than the burden of whatever it was that was tearing his mind apart.

She squeezed the hand she was still holding to keep his focus on her and her love and not on the blame he shouldn't put in his brain. Together meant she was there to help him with his problems no matter how many and how impossible to solve they were. But it looked like they still had a long way to go until he could get used to the idea that someone was there for him and wanted to help him instead of piling more load on his shoulders.

"I got a call," Valtor finally relented but the resignation in his tone and body language was about the last thing she'd wanted to see. She hadn't meant to push so hard, she'd just wanted to help. And she opened her mouth to tell him that but he spoke again. "From prison," he said, his grip tightening on both her hand and her waist and she held on to him as well, as much for his sake as she was doing it for her own, the words laying heavy on top of her and she now understood the tortured expression on his face and the real meaning of his behavior.

"Did you talk to them?" Griffin asked, doing her best to keep the desperation out of her voice when she wanted to beg him to tell her he hadn't. But she didn't want to make him feel like he needed to be ashamed. Especially when she knew the answer. He wouldn't have been so upset if he'd just denied the call.

"I didn't," Valtor said, startling her, her heart jumping in her chest at the thought of him breaking free from their hold on him. It would be the best news. Even better than their engagement, for she only wanted him to be happy and he could only do that away from them. "I only listened," he said, the sadness dripping from his gaze drowning her, for they'd found a way to hurt him again. He'd listened to them for years and nothing good had come out of it, only pain for him. And then he'd finally been free of them, and she'd watched him get filled with life, and happiness, at all the little things that made his life so different and that much better. And now he was dejected again. After a single phone call from them. That was the power of the vicious hold they had on him.

"What did they want?" Griffin asked, her voice getting sharp despite her best efforts to keep it calm. She didn't need to cut him as well after everything he'd already been through but she couldn't understand their game. They'd been in prison for years now, not once reaching out to him after they'd left him the company. So why now? What did they want from him? Why couldn't they just leave his life and rot in prison like they were supposed to? Why did they have to come after his happiness?

"They wanted to congratulate us on the engagement," Valtor said, his eyes on her making her more aware of the fact her own widened in disbelief when he said "us".

His mothers had never made an attempt to contact her even though it was very evident that they could and they also had reasons to. She was making him happy so she was surprised they hadn't done their best to get rid of her so that he could be even more miserable than them. And there was no doubt they knew everything they wanted to, the call Valtor had gotten only confirming that. They'd barely been engaged for three days–Valtor had proposed on Friday and they might have lost most of Saturday _and _Sunday in bed save for that visit to her mother's apartment–and not even all of her friends knew yet but the three old witches did. They were probably spying on them or something, and yet they'd never reached out neither to Valtor, nor to her. But they'd decided to remind them of their existence now instead of just dying quietly and staying away from where they were unwanted.

"They also sent us a gift," Valtor said, bringing her back to him but still unable to save her from their presence because they'd decided to enter their lives again. "It arrived exactly after they ended the call." Of course it had. They were far from powerless even though they were supposed to be unable to hurt anyone anymore. But of course, that wasn't the case, and they were still trying to control his life, still expecting to have a say in it after all the things they'd done to him. And the worst part was that he allowed them to because he didn't know how to protect himself from them.

Valtor reached in the right inner pocket of his coat and Griffin was at least glad he hadn't kept it near his heart. The somewhat positive feeling had no chance against his mothers' intentions, of course, and was immediately crushed when he held out a small box. It was for a ring, though Griffin wouldn't be surprised if they found a cut off human finger in it. The three old hags had been suspected in murder–multiple murders, actually–but their lawyers had been too good and nothing had been proven, much to her disappointment when she'd researched the case because they most certainly had been guilty, the murders followed closely by beneficial activity for their company but that was just circumstantial evidence.

She took it from him, hating the fact that she had to let go of Valtor to deal with something they'd sent them with the sole purpose of messing up their lives, and paused before opening it, preparing herself, her mind protesting madly against having to do that instead of getting to enjoy a normal relationship with his family, but she hushed it, reminding herself that that was a much bigger problem for Valtor than it was for her. And still she couldn't help but wonder–perhaps even long for–what it would've been like if he'd had a loving family. He deserved one, and since he hadn't gotten it from them, she would make sure she would be the one to give it to him. She wanted it more than anything.

She pulled up the lid, expecting to see a ring. It would be much more like them with the subtle and yet very present and disturbing attempt at controlling their fate and arranging them the way they wanted them. But they were mad if they thought she'd wear a ring they'd picked over the one he'd gotten for her.

She looked at his love wrapped around her finger, the silver shining like it was a soft small star and making her think of the vastness of space that couldn't even compare to the endless love she held for him and the gem reminding her that his love for her was, in turn, written in the stars. It was so beautiful it could make her cry and that was why she avoided looking at it for too long. She didn't want to start weeping in the middle of a class, but now it gave her strength to look down at the contents of yet another obstacle they'd been sent, special courtesy of Valtor's mothers.

There were two rings in the box, wedding bands, golden, the metal shining like it was made of molten sunlight. They were expensive, she could tell. And they were the right size. If she put the smaller one on her finger, it would fit perfectly, and she knew that would be the case with the ring meant for Valtor, too. They'd gotten their ring sizes, somehow, the information sinking deep into her mind and heart and she had to do her best not to let it poison everything that was there, every dream about a happy future and every hope for what could blossom from the love she and Valtor shared. It was insane how something seemingly so small could pose such a gigantic threat on their happiness. And it was insane to what lengths Valtor's mothers had gone to ensure they'd get to mess with their lives. Especially considering the rings were unusable since they were linked together which made it impossible for them to put on, and even if they could, it would force them to be together all the time, making them sacrifice parts of their lives.

"Why would they send this?" Griffin asked, even though she knew very well. She was still feeling the effect that the witches had known their "gift" would have and she knew she would for a long time. For they were in her mind now, too, and she knew why Valtor found it impossible to get them out of there. But if anything, it only brought her closer to him. And that was what she wanted. In good as well as in bad. She'd still be right there, guiding him towards the positive and gladly drowning in their love.

"To remind us we'll never be free of them," Valtor said, his gaze trained on the rings as if they were coiled snakes waiting to strike and she could feel the darkness in his voice that was also radiating from the entirety of his form. He got like that sometimes, when he was angry and she'd gotten hurt, vibrating with rage as if he was ready to murder. And she understood the impulse even if she couldn't approve. Not because his mothers deserved any mercy whatsoever but because she was worried about him. His demons were taking over him and those were always trying to pull him away from her – something that she couldn't allow. So she needed to pull him back into her love where he'd be safe.

"We are free of them," Griffin said firmly as she closed the lid and left the box on her desk–she had half a mind to throw it in the trashcan but she was already getting a better idea of what to do with it–and focused her whole attention on him. "They are behind bars and we are here in each other's arms," she said as she cupped his face with both her hands and pressed herself into him, hoping that the warmth of her body would remind him he was no longer alone and the cold of his mothers' presence was long gone.

"But what happens when they get out?" Valtor asked, his voice so quiet and scared that the only thing holding her back from hopping in the car and committing a triple murder–not only for what they'd done now but for everything they'd put him through because as much as she'd like to say she didn't know that tone, it was painfully familiar to her heart and ears–were his hands around her waist, keeping her close and grounded, and loved.

"They won't make it until then." They had almost two full decades of incarceration left and they were already over seventy. Even their elite team of lawyers hadn't managed to save them from years upon years behind bars for the atrocities they'd committed. It wasn't just corporate fraud. That had just given a start to the investigation that had revealed much, much more. The list of their crimes went on and on and she couldn't even remember everything that had been on it. They were monsters and were serving a sentence that was far too insufficient for all the pain they'd caused. It couldn't even cover the punishment they deserved simply for everything they'd put Valtor through, but he hadn't wanted to sue them for child abuse. He'd said to her he wouldn't have been able to prove it but she knew it was because he simply couldn't. He couldn't face them and admit all the damage they'd done to him, and he couldn't ask them to answer for it. They'd made sure of it. But they'd also committed enough other heinous crimes that had left them locked away for the rest of their miserable lives.

Valtor shook his head, forcing her to release him. "They will, Griffin," he said and his voice was steady and firm now as he was convinced of the words he spoke. "They will make it out, probably sooner than they're supposed to. And then they'll come for us." His grip on her tightened again and it was painful. Not because he was squeezing so hard but because he was holding on so desperately, afraid he'd lose her when there was no way she'd let that happen.

"Valtor," she called, quietly but with enough power in her voice to make him look at her as she put her hands on his shoulders, grounding him. "Don't let them in your head," she said as she held his gaze, her eyes pleading with him to stay with her and not let them pull them apart with their games. It was easier said than done and she knew that now. There were countless worries swirling in her own mind but she knew him and her, together, were stronger than them. The only way his mothers could separate them was to kill her and they wouldn't do that since he'd never look at them if anything happened to her. So they were safe. As long as they held on to each other and she could promise him she would, just as hard as he was doing with her. Nothing–not even the three monsters–could get her to leave him. She'd sworn to be his when she'd accepted the engagement ring and she'd keep her promise just like he always kept the ones he made to her. "They're exactly where they should be and we are together in this," she said, her eyes on his because he was the world to her and there was nothing else for her to look at, not even the stars.

Valtor's gaze slowly softened as he allowed the fear to seep out of it and dissipate in the air around them and he stopped being hard on himself for needing her help and reassurances. He'd asked her for that, for all of her love, and she'd said yes. She'd always say yes to him and give him everything he needed and she would keep showing him that until he firmly believed it and didn't feel the need to shy away from his emotional needs or be ashamed by them. He'd been taught to never show weakness but she was there to be his strength when he needed her and he could be whatever he wanted in her embrace.

Griffin drew him into a kiss, letting her breath fill him and her tongue tell him all of these things, for she wasn't afraid to give him every part of herself. He'd trusted her with all of him. He'd trusted her and she knew that was no easy feat for him but it had been worth all the efforts because she was there with him, in his arms and in his heart, and she wasn't going anywhere, the ring on her finger merely a physical symbol of her love that bound her to him. And no one could take that from them.

Valtor smiled at her when he pulled away, cupping her cheek, and she enjoyed the even rhythm of his breathing when she put her hand on his chest. Their kiss had left him breathing with ease instead of taking from him and she was happy to see that and hear the relaxed sound as his heart beat steadily, trusting it was protected in her hands. And his eyes were full of so much love that she didn't need him to tell her about it. She doubted words could have quite the same effect, in fact.

"How about we go home and you help me bake some cookies to appease Edi and Zara for not calling to tell them about the engagement?" she asked, feeling her thoughts drifting to what had kept her from calling the twins. She'd called her mother and Faragonda but then Valtor had dragged her to the bedroom to make her scream his name. He'd taken her "yes" as hesitant when, in fact, her heart had been pounding in her throat so madly that she'd barely found the air to speak. He'd calmed down once she'd reassured him that had been the reason for her quietness but he'd still wanted to bring out the more vocal side of her and she hadn't complained. Edi and Zara had, though, when they'd learned she hadn't rushed to call them. So she needed a peace offering.

"I'll have to pay my penance for distracting you then," he took her hand in his. "Maybe I'll even get to distract you again." He brought it to his lips and put a kiss on it, his warm breath tickling her skin and sending shivers through her and his words putting images in her head that had her licking her lips.

"As long as we don't burn the kitchen down," Griffin said and gave him a mischievous smile that only widened when met with his hungry gaze. He was all hers now.

"What are we waiting for then?" Valtor asked as he let go of her so that she could go grab her things.

"Excited for cooking?" Griffin teased as if she didn't know very well that they'd be lucky to get to the cooking at all. He wouldn't wait for her to get it done and she couldn't make him because she was quite impatient herself. But after the emotional toll of the day she couldn't really make herself care about that. All she wanted was to be in his arms and get everything that that included.

"I'm excited for eating," Valtor said and winked at her, making her shake her head and roll her eyes at the terrible innuendo but she still chuckled. "What are we going to do with these?" Valtor asked, his face shifting into a frown that chased the lightness out of her heart, but she had a plan how to get it back. In both their hearts.

"Let's sell them." They cost quite a lot, she was sure. And that money could be used for good. It could be used to help someone feel at home even though the intention behind the "gift" had been quite the opposite. "Once we get our wedding bands, we'll add a sum equal to what we spent on them to the money we'll get for these and donate it to the women's shelter." They donated every month, a part of their earnings going for funding of the shelter so that other people could get on their feet and find happiness just like the two of them had done. But their wedding would be the perfect moment to spread some extra happiness. And it was a way to fight back against those three witches and other abusers out there.

Valtor picked up the box and put it in his pocket, this time the one on the left as it truly was a gift that was meant to bring happiness now, and walked over to her, the soft emotion in his eyes almost too beautiful a sight that threatened to bring tears to her eyes.

"Splendid idea, my love," he said, making her heart stop and flutter at the same time with the title he gave her before leaning in to kiss her forehead and making her happier than she could tell him. But he already knew. He reflected the exact same feeling.


End file.
